Improved accuracy in estimations of deceased age discovered by forensic researchers

Forensic researchers at North Carolina State University have found a more accurate way to assess an individual's age at death, based on the bone mineral density of the femur. The technique could be used to help identify human remains.
CREDIT
Matt Shipman

A more accurate method for assessing an individuals age of death has been announced by forensic researchers at North Carolina State University.

By studying the bone density of the femur, this new technique could further enhance the ability to identify human remains.

“Current techniques for assessing an individual’s age at death rely on reviewing the wear and tear on a skeleton’s joint surfaces,” says Ann Ross, a professor of biological sciences at NC State and corresponding author of a paper on the work. “But there is a lot of variability there, based on an individual’s lifestyle and how a forensic practitioner interprets those skeletal features. Depending on the method being used, current approaches could list a deceased individual in his or her 40s as being anywhere from 27 to 70 years old.

“However, bone mineral content and density increase as we grow, then decline at a fairly steady rate once we reach adulthood – making it a potentially useful way of assessing age,” Ross says.

The method of using bone mineral density to assess age has been used for several years, but the team at NCS has managed to make the process far more precise.

Specifically, they discovered that assessing the bone mineral density at the neck of the femur provided the best sampling data for determining age.

In a study assessing the remains of 33 men and eight women, the researchers found that bone mineral density could be used to determine age within a 13-year margin of error.

“This, in itself, is a step in the right direction,” Ross says. “But we think the method could be made even more accurate if we were able to significantly increase the sample size, including more women and more representatives from each age group.”

The researchers found no significant difference between men and women based on the bone mineral density of the femur. However, they did find difference between sexes in the density of the skull.

The researchers think the skull is better for assessing sex because it’s not a load-bearing bone, meaning it is subject to fewer outside forces – allowing forensic practitioners to detect bone mineral density differences that result from an individual’s biological sex.

“However, while promising, we didn’t have a large enough sample size to draw firm conclusions about using bone mineral density to determine sex – that would require a larger study,” Ross says.

Header Image : Forensic researchers at North Carolina State University have found a more accurate way to assess an individual’s age at death, based on the bone mineral density of the femur. The technique could be used to help identify human remains. CREDIT Matt Shipman

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